"Your inner powers are minimal. To activate it while meditating you must focus on the essence it radiates." Lord Wu stood in front of me, giving me instructions on cultivation.
"Okay." I nodded and closed my eyes.
Sitting with my legs crossed in the pavilion overlooking the Dark Fall Lake, I tried to find that essence within me. It was like chasing a floating string through a maze. Too hard to mentally grasp.
My eyebrows wrinkled together, and I could hear Lord Wu lecturing me again.
"Don't become stressed. If your essence does not make itself apparent, don't force it."
Nodding, I tried to relax my face.
In the corner of my mind, in the darkness of space, I saw something in the distance. Lightly glowing and then fading into the dark, the being emitted a pale peach glimmer. Nearing the cloud-like energy, I imagined my hand going through. Soon the warmth of the pale shade enveloped my body. A surge of tightness held my eyes shut.
I could faintly hear Lord Wu exclaimed, "You did it! I can see your aura."
Carefully opening my eyes, I felt calm and accomplished. Jumping up to Lord Wu's side, I cheered and smiled with him.
"Thank you so much, Lord Wu! After weeks of practicing, I'm finally able to cultivate properly!"
"You're a quick learner."
"Still the life essence pills you gifted me helped a lot."
Without thinking, I placed my hand around his, holding it gently. "Lord Wu, if there is anything I can do for you, please let me know. I want to repay you for all that you've done to help me."
"Uh... Let's just say I'm repaying a debt."
Confused, I let go of his hand. "What do you mean repaying a debt? You don't owe me anything."
"Then I'm just helping out a friend."
"Lord Wu... are you saying we're friends?"
"Mmm."
No way! Friends with Lord Wu the Captain of the Night Ravens?! That's insane! But so cool!
Jumping up and down, I grabbed both of his hands and happily expressed my excitement.
"I love it! I love being your friend!"
I finally have a friend!
"Haha. Okay, okay." Lord Wu was awkwardly stiff while I pulled him and danced around the pavilion.
The next morning, Master asked for me to bring him some desserts from the kitchen. He never ate, so I thought it was odd. Even so, I gathered a few sweets and organized them neatly onto a plate. Covering them with a ceramic lid, I walked over to Master's study.
The two guards let me in, and I went right over to Master's desk. Placing the desserts down, I opened the lid and set it aside.
Master didn't even look at me and said, "You haven't said a word to me in awhile."
"I haven't?"
Straightening his posture, he turned to me. "Perhaps I've said something to make you upset. Sit down."
I noticed a chair behind me. Master must have moved it from the corner of the room to the edge of his desk. Doing as he ordered, I sat down but felt gravity removing itself from me as to say it was unnatural to do this!
"Master... Did I do something wrong?" I leaned forward to decipher his facial expressions.
"Eat." He turned the page of his manuscript.
"The desserts? I dare not. I retrieved this for Master."
"I had you prepared them for yourself."
Just why was he having me eat it instead?
"Master... are they poisoned?"
Slamming the book down onto his desk, Master looked me straight in the eyes.
"How would I know? You brought them."
"Oh, right, right."
To appease him, I quickly grabbed a rice cake and took a bite. Chewy and sweet.
"I'm heading out to Yeguang city today... You can accompany me." Master turned his back to me.
Thrilled that I could go with Master out into the city, I exclaimed, "Really, Master?! I haven't gone out since I've been here! I would love to go out and see the city."
"Good."
"Will Lord Wu come with us? It will be so fun for us to go together." I happily chewed the remaining rice cake I had in my hand.
Master turned back around and scorned, "Wu Jing is the Captain of the Night Ravens. He doesn't have time for you to pester him. Besides, I'm only taking you out because you need a little exercise. All you do is eat sweets since you've gotten here."
Ea-- Eat sweets?! Just who ordered me to bring him sweets and then have me eat it instead?! Master, you--
Mid afternoon Master had me wait for him outside Bleak Night gates. The summer sun was high in the sky. Its powerful heat traveled to my body causing an increase of sweat from the top of my head down the sides of my face.
Master exited the gates wearing a light cotton robe with a tint of creamy white. His hair was always tightly wound back with long strands behind his back. He dressed like a commoner, but his tall figure and fit build accentuated power and nobility.
"Master! You're wearing the outfit I made you..." I was surprised to see Master wearing something so plain. I hadn't finished embellishing it with golden phoenixes or metallic stars.
"It was the only clean thing I could find... Anyways, let's get moving." Master led the way while I followed behind. It was not possible that Master couldn't find anything clean to wear, I mean I was in charge of his laundry, and I made sure to keep up with it every day!
After moments of walking for just a few minutes, my body become drenched in sweat. Master appeared to be fine with no signs of sweating anywhere on his body.
"Master..." I pleaded, "Master, can we please go to the city by horse or can you pull me with your speed spell?"
He looked back at me with annoyance. "You really think you can handle the spell?"
"Anything is better than this."
"All right." Master agreed to my request but an evil smile flashed on his face as he grabbed a hold of my arm.
Immediately setting off, I couldn't feel my feet on the ground. Master was literally pulling me through air. His movements became so fast and blurry. Afraid that I was going to fly off, I tightly held onto Master's sleeve. His hold on my wrist never slipped.
When we finally reached the city, Master halted his running and I clutched onto his side inhaling and exhaling loudly. Resting my head on his arm, the weight of my legs finally returned. Master waited for me to recompose myself. I was able to see his cold face and instantly let go of his arm.
"Come on." Master walked ahead through the gates of the city.
Walking behind him, I observed the crowds of people making their way around the bustling road. To my left, a cart selling candy. To my right, a vendor selling cheap jewels. Businesses opened alongside the road. Taverns, tea houses, entertainment theaters. Yeguang city was vibrant with life and wonderfully bewitching.
"Master, it's so beautiful here," I said to him with wandering eyes.
He turned to watch me over his shoulders, but continued leading the way. Following Master inside a large building, he led me up the stairs. Sitting down at a table next to a balcony, I could clearly see the stage down below. Two people dressed in bright gowns with pale makeup on stage sang and moved elegantly to the sound of music.
"Master, what are they doing?" I asked.
"It's a theatrical play. They're telling a story."
"A story?"
A small waiter walked up to us, asking Master what he would like to eat.
"Just tea."
I turned to him, "Master! But I'm... hungry."
"I took you out to exercise. Not to eat."
"Then why'd you bring me into a restaurant?"
"You--"
Oops. I accidentally talked back to him.
"Just bring us your best dishes." Master waved the waiter away. Pleased, I turned my attention back to the stage.
It was a sorrowful story. The wife died and her soul traveled to the afterlife. She waited for her husband, missing him dearly. When the husband finally departed the world of the living, he had already taken another wife, and they died together in old age. He was happy with his new wife that the old wife could not approach him. Instead, she jumped into the River of Forgetfulness.
"Too cruel." I brushed away the single tear on my face. Master stared at me as I wept pitifully. I picked up my chopsticks to finish the plate of stir-fried beef and vegetables. Apparently throughout the play, I was subconsciously eating and had already finished almost all of the six different orders.
"Master, I have to go to the bathroom," I excused myself and made my way to the back of the theater.
I saw the outhouse all the way in the back. Making my way over, I was distracted by drunken yelling. From the corner of my eye, I saw a drunken older man harassing a beautiful women in white. It was her! The wife from the play!
"You're so pretty. Oh! You're so pretty." The drunk man's face was a discolored red. His arms tightly wound around the slim figure of the actress.
Although I was scared, I wanted to help her. I marched over and demanded, "Get your hands off her!"
"What?! Who are you?" The man asked still holding the pretty woman in his arms.
"Let go of her, you creep." I forced him off. He stumbled backwards and fell to the ground. "Madam, are you all right?"
She nodded, and seemed afraid.
"How dare you?!" The drunk man yelled at me from the ground. "Men, get them!"
More than ten menacing men walked toward us. Where the hell did they come from?
Ack!
Grabbing her hand, I ran toward the exit. She clumsily followed me with her flowing gown and long sleeves making it difficult for us to go any faster. Into the crowd, we squeezed through people and entered small alleys to lose them.
"Catch them!" I heard one of them yell.
Shit!
"Over here!" Behind an open carriage filled with hay, I dragged the actress behind and crouched down. We hid for a minute, keeping very still until the steps of the guards could no longer be heard.
"Where are you taking me?" The actress' low voice made me jumped. We both stood up, and I took a good look at her, up and down. Although with a small frame and a face covered in dramatic makeup, I didn't realize that she was actually a man!
"You're-- You're a man?!"
"Yes. You didn't know?"
"Ah? No. I'm sorry. I just figured that creepy old man back there was trying to take advantage of a poor maiden."
Laughing he said, "You're not from here, are you?"
I shook my head.
"My name is Qin Yu. I'm an actor at the Yeguang City Theater you were just at."
"Oh..."
Okay?
"I don't mind a bit of fan service here and there, although I'd prefer attention from a sweet young lady such as yourself."
"Ah..."
"I have another show starting tonight. I have to go back and prepare. I'll see you another time." He held my hand, firmly squeezing as a gesture of gratitude.
"Will you be all right heading back by yourself?" I asked, still worried about that drunk man and the guards he sent after us.
He smiled at me like I was a lost puppy barking after him. "You're sweet, but I'll be fine. Consider me a friend the next time you're in town, come visit me!"
"Friend?" I contemplated for a moment how Qin Yu came to the conclusion that we should become friends. Maybe he has become smitten by me? I smiled at the absurd thought.
"Oh no! Master!"
I abandoned him! I had to go back and get him. Rushing back to the theater, I ran twisting and turning in the alleys of the city's residential area.
"There she is! I spotted her! She's right over there!" A man's loud voice alerted me. I ran right into the intimidating guards that were still on the lookout for me and Qin Yu!
Turning back the way I came, I ran as fast as I could. I was out of breath after awhile and could not force my legs to move anymore. The guards' voices and footsteps made their way closer. Suddenly a strong gripping hand yanked me into a small crevice between two houses.
I screamed but the person placed his hand over my mouth, pinning me to the wall. Skin cold like ice. Scent familiar like freshly cut sugar cane.
Master!
"Quiet," Master sharply whispered. I stopped squirming and stared at him. He removed his hand from my mouth when he noticed I calmed myself. His eyes looked for danger out in the open.
"Master! You're so strong. You can easily take them all out!"
"I didn't come into the city to fight scoundrels!"
"But they're bad people! If they come after us, you can effortlessly subdue them!"
"I said be quiet!" Master's dark brown eyes fell onto me. His intense stare concentrated down below my eyes but not all the way to my feet.
OMG! NO! Was Master thinking perverted thoughts while staring at my chest?!
There was no distance between us in that small gap. My chest felt pressured from Master's looming abdomen.
"Master, you're too close." I raised my hand to block his chest from furthering into my space, but Master reached for my wrist and pulled it down.
Using his other hand to tilt my head upwards, Master's face crept in closer and closer until I could feel a plumped tension absorbing my lips. Unable to see Master's face, I closed my eyes and felt myself be swallowed whole by steaming passion. His fingers slipped away from my face and instead wrapped around my waist, pulling me in close to his embrace. I pushed back against his weight, following his lead from where his mouth opened and closed, where his tongue entered and departed. I could no longer feel Master's cold skin as it was replaced by a warming temperature.
Breathing heavily, Master lifted his head away from mine, staring into my eyes irresistibly tempting my heart. As though realizing what he was doing, he furrowed his eyebrows and avoided my fixed gaze.
Immediately letting go of my body, Master mumbled under his breath, "Let's go back."